A low proportion of undertriage validates the new West coast system for triage—Paediatric

Abstract

AbstractAimThere is a lack of studies on paediatric triage systems. This study aimed to evaluate patient safety of the Gothenburg‐developed paediatric triage system West Coast System for Triage—Paediatric (WEST‐P).MethodThis study was performed at the paediatric emergency department in Gothenburg, Sweden, October 2020 to April 2021. Included patients were double‐triaged with the WEST‐P, and the established Rapid Emergency Triage and Treatment System—Paediatrics (RETTS‐p). We compared the level of urgency between both systems to identify potentially undertriaged patients. Also, we assessed the patient safety according to clinical assessment at presentation, and pre‐defined criteria.ResultsThis study included 2290 (23%) of triaged patients (44% girls, median age: 5.0 years) during the study period. A higher number of patients triaged to low urgency in WEST‐P compared to RETTS‐p (p < 0.0001) was observed, and 497 cases with low WEST‐P and high RETTS‐p urgencies identified. Of these, 29 had a clinical assessment indicating high urgency. After patient safety assessment, seven (0.4%) were determined undertriaged by the new triage system WEST‐P.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate a low risk of undertriage in the new WEST‐P. Thus, the WEST‐P has a high degree of patient safety when used in a paediatric emergency department.